Japan's Aso wants Nakagawa to stay in finance post: reports

WilliamL. Watts

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso wants Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa to remain in his post after Nakagawa denied being drunk during a weekend Group of Seven meeting in Rome, news reports said Monday. Nakagawa apologized for his performance at a Saturday news conference, blaming cold medicine for his drowsy appearance and slurred speech. News reports said Nakagawa appeared to have trouble staying awake during the news conference and struggled to speak clearly. The performance prompted calls by opposition lawmakers for Nakagawa to step down. "I took a little more medicine than prescribed," Nakagawa told lawmakers on Monday, according to Bloomberg. He said he had a "sip" of wine at an earlier luncheon.

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